Every year we report our carbon emissions to Cabinet. For the latest annual emissions report, see item 8 from Cabinet on the 11th of December, 2024.
What do we measure?
In order to take action to reduce emissions, we need to understand and measure where they’re sourced from in the first place. We report the council’s corporate emissions, as well as, Wealden District’s emissions.
The three scopes are a way of categorising the different kinds of emissions an organisation creates in its own operations in its wider ‘value chain’ (its customers and suppliers).
Measuring our carbon emissions this way enables us to understand and focus our efforts on the best way to reduce our emissions.
The three scopes
Scope 1 are direct emissions that are owned or controlled by Wealden District Council, whereas scope 2 and scope 3 indirect emissions are a consequence of the activities of Wealden District Council but occur from sources not owned or controlled by it.
For example, the gas used to heat our retirement living homes is Scope 1, the electricity used to boil a kettle in the office is Scope 2 and the fuel used by our waste collection service, Biffa, is Scope 3.
Wealden District Council’s corporate carbon emissions
The council’s corporate emissions data is recorded between 1st April and 31st March – every financial year.
The percentages of total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions for Wealden District Council from April 2022 to March 2023 are as follows:
- Retirement Living: 81%
- Crematorium: 9%
- Vicarage Lane council offices: 7%
- Civic Community Hall: 1%
- Council’s vehicle fleet: 2%
The vast majority of Wealden District Council’s corporate emissions arise from its twelve retirement living properties, though communal heat and lighting systems.
As a social housing landlord, we have an important role in contributing to the challenges of Climate Change in the residential sector including improving the energy efficiency of the council’s housing stock. Doing so, will help to improve health, wellbeing and comfort for residents.
The improvement of our housing stock contributes to our commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions and addressing the Climate Emergency.
For more information on the decarbonisation plans for our housing stock please see item 6 from Cabinet on the 11th of October 2023.
Wealden district’s carbon emissions 2021
The available emissions data for Wealden district area is always two years behind. This is due to the time it takes to gather and analyse such data. This data is provided by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
The main sources of carbon emissions in the district arise from the following-
- Transport: 45%
- Domestic 39%
- Agriculture: 19%
- Industry: 8%
- Waste Management: 4%
- Public Sector: 3%
- Commercial: 3%
- Land Use, Land-Use Change & Forestry: -20% (Carbon Absorption)
The district’s transport and domestic emissions combined make up 84% of total emissions. This highlights how individual actions and choices have the potential to make a big impact.
We are committed to using our influence to support climate action by working with others, to enable more people and organisations to make positive changes to their lifestyle and work place to drive down carbon emissions. This will help build local community resilience by supporting Wealden to become climate ready.